FAQs and Interesting Info on Decorative Finishes

What is Faux, and how do you pronounce it?

Faux - in the term Faux Finishing is pronounced like go or low - not fox.

From the French language, faux literally means "false" or "artificial."  It is the ability to recreate in painted application the simulation of an organic surface or object.  In other words anything in art that is painted faux – is painted fake.

Many decorative paint effects incorporate faux.  Faux bois imitates wood, faux porphyry imitates stone, faux leather simulates the look of real leather, faux pearls look like real pearls, and so on.

Faux techniques can be cost effective for the consumer looking to achieve a desired look.  Real marble for example, can be cost prohibitive, but applying a faux marble effect to walls or columns, can create a desired effect for a fraction of the cost of the “real thing.”

Important questions to ask a Decorative Artist before hiring them

Hiring a Decorative Artist can be a daunting process.  Many consumers who are interested in having decorative painting done are at a loss when looking for a qualified artist, and may not know the right questions to ask in pre-qualifying someone to do the work.  There are many great artists out there, as well as many faux painters with little or no experience.  Decorative painting is a highly specialized field, so keep this in mind when you are hiring someone.  Decorative Artists with many years experience are much more valuable and sought after than someone just starting out and their prices should reflect that.  Remember, you get what you pay for, so if you are particular, make sure you hire someone who will satisfy your needs.  Grand Dad used to say, “A cheap tool is an expensive tool.”  This means if you go on the cheap, and hire someone with little or no experience, you may have a horror story on your hands, and will have to pay a qualified artist to fix your “great deal.”  Here are a few important questions you should ask to qualify a Decorative Artist before hiring them.

Determining a quality teaching school for decorative finishes

If you are considering taking a faux finishing class, there are many levels of schools, and their prices will reflect what they offer, and the depth of experience the instructor has.  Here are a few things to consider when selecting a school.

Class size  A smaller class size will give you more individualized training from the instructor.  If you need more individualized attention, look for a school with a small class size – no more than 10 students per class.

What does the class include  Classes should include all materials, instructions and use of tools needed to complete the finishes.  Some schools may also include meals and refreshments.  Keep this in mind when pricing your class.  If you want to be pampered, look for a class that offers all of the above, and expect to pay more.

Classes for professionals vs. homeowners  Make sure when you sign up for a class, you are taking a class that is at your level.  If you are inexperienced, take a beginners class.  Taking a class that is more advanced than your abilities will frustrate you, and slow the entire class for those who are at a higher level - and frustrate them as well.  Classes should note the level of expertise needed to qualify for admission.  Know your limitations, and act accordingly.

Size, quantity and quality of sample boards per class  Make sure the samples you will be making in class are large enough for the client to get a full representation of the finish being offered.  Depending of the curriculum of the class, you may come away with many sample boards, or just a few.  Many basic classes offer many sample boards due to ease of application and time needed in completing each finish.  You need to be aware of the techniques being offered within the curriculum.  Many techniques are very time consuming, and therefore limit the amount of samples offered.  If this is the case, be more concerned in mastering technique and not how many samples you go home with.

Product systems vs. intermixing product lines for desired effect  Some schools are authorized dealers of specific product lines and will not stray from their “system.”  Growing personally within the decorative painting field means mastering these lines, but then stepping out of the box to create unique finishes a “system” may not offer.  Keep this in mind if you are at a level where you want to explore what a product can do when used outside of the constraints of the “system.”  If you want to create “outside of the box,” look for a school that believes in using the best products available to achieve a desired finish.  This may mean intermixing product lines for unique effects.  Of course you also need to be aware that when mixing different product lines, the warranty of the “system” becomes invalid.

What instructions are included  A quality school will offer a written booklet with directions on how to re-create all of the finishes taught in class.  Learning finishes is hard enough.  Having written instructions on the finishes you learn will ease the learning process, and give you an excellent reference for the future.

Availability of the instructor  Some schools offer little or no help for students who may have questions after the class is over.  Once they get your money – they disappear.  Know what the availability of the school is for continuing assistance after you have completed a class.  Insure there will be someone to help you if you get stuck, or if you run into problems.  You can not expect a school to hold your hand, but you should expect from the school a complete knowledge of their product lines in case problems occur, and the ability to help you if you have questions.

Does the school offer pricing for the finishes offered  It is wonderful to learn all of the exciting techniques out there, but if you do not know how to properly price a finish, you could run into a lot of problems with your profit margin.  Make sure the school you choose offers how to price the finishes learned, and what to take into consideration when pricing out a finish.

Ask for references  Taking decorative painting classes can be pricy.  If the school does not come recommended from a previous student, and you are shooting in the dark hoping you will get out of the class what you are looking for, ask the school if they have a reference listing of students who have previously taken one of their classes.  If they are not willing to put you in touch with a past student, think twice about investing your money in that school.

The History of Stenciling in America

Generally, the word stencil is surrounded by prejudice.  To many Americans it means something commercial – a stamp for marking packing boxes, or thoughts emerge of country ducks and cows crudely applied to the surface.  To those of longer memory, it recalls the high walls and ceilings of the Eastlake period, when elaborate stenciled designs of pale color or blatant borders in reds and browns, often Egyptian in inspiration were used to decorate fashionable homes of the day.  To others more familiar with recent trends in decorative arts, the term may have a more pleasant connotation.  It may suggest a landscape or interior by Emil Ganso, or Conrad Cramer, or the many stencil plates with which T.M. Cleland composed his well known prints.  Perhaps under the inspiration of their French predecessors, and contemporaries, artists such as Picasso, Jean Saude, Gy Arnoux, and Andy Warhol have found in the stencil a means of achieving pattern and color for pictures, reproductions, or book illustrations that are gained by no other method.

In history, wall, textiles, books, games, furniture, and too many objects and surfaces to name, have at one time or another known a stencil, traceable today by the distinctive quality of its decoration.  When and where some artisan began to repeat with exactness by means of a cut-out pattern the motifs of a design, or the symbols of his language or of his ideas, we can only guess.  All we know is that the stencil is an extremely old tool, by which its very nature may have had many separate origins.  We have evidence from the earliest of cave paintings, and on in time, embellishing Egyptian tomb paintings, reproducing holy texts in Buddhist monasteries, decorating churches during the dark ages, creating flocked wall paper in France during the renaissance, and then evolving in England and coming across the ocean to America.  This is where our story begins.

The stenciled walls and floors of America, like so many things which have been closest to the daily living of its settlers, have passed with them, and too frequently we unearth these records only by chance, and almost always in fragmented form.  In the early days of settlement, the wealthy could afford the stenciled wallpapers, and Persian rugs imported from the Orient, France and England, as well as the papers produced in the colonies.  But these papers could only be afforded by few, so the progression to painted interior surfaces took place.  The exact date of stenciled wall and floor ornamentation in America is not known, but the earliest date found of a painted wall decoration is 1778.  Most stenciled rooms appear in New England.  Although there is evidence of German settlers from Philadelphia renowned in this trade, no record of their work remains.

In execution, there is a great range of skill, some marked by primitive hand, others the work of trained artists with the knowledge of arrangement and design.  As the early American housing evolved from rough hewn surfaces to plastered walls, there was a need for ornamentation and color to satisfy the feeling of achievement which had come with material progress.  There was also a wish to carry on the traditions of distant homelands, and a desire to keep the culture that linked the new world with the old.  With the event of improved roads and waterways, even the simplest farmer was able to procure the adornment of house and wall to satisfy his inherited sense of design and love of color.  When compared to wallpaper at the time, it is evident that stenciled patterns evolved from the influence of wallpaper, and placement of pattern on the walls was used to imitate wallpaper patterns popular at that time.  The treatment of frieze and border, the division of wall space into panels, and the grouping of designs indicate clearly that there was a significant relationship between the two.

Stencil Artisans of the time originated from the German Palatinate and from England, lending their particular cultural influence into their decoration.  These artisans were journeymen itinerants, who traveled from town to town, singly or in pairs, most seeking patronage in the form of a small wage, and room and board for their talents.  His outfit was modest, and his tools were simple consisting of dry pigments, brushes, a supply of stencils cut from thick paper, a few measuring tools, a builder’s cord and a piece of chalk.  The owner would supply skimmed milk as a medium for their pigments to create milk paint.  The arrival of the journeyman artist was an event of importance to the village.  A welcome would be waiting by those eager the refurbish their home.  One can only imagine the audience at hand while the artist mixed colors and applied his artistry to the walls.

Repeating patterns from different artists give evidence that journeymen artists shared their designs.  The  mind set of early settlers was of sharing ones skills, talents and possessions, and was encouraged in society.  As time progressed and the dawn of the industrial age began, stenciled surfaces fell out of fashion, and many walls and floors were painted, or wallpapered over.  Of course as with any decorating trend, there have been periods in our country’s short history that the re-emergence of this art form is evident, and currently stenciling has seen a come back in the form of more contemporary applications in multi-overlay stencils to create a more realistic impression, without “bridges” seen in traditional stencils, embossed stenciling which is very popular in current decorating trends, and so on.  As the trends in decorative painting evolve, many artisans are finding new ways to bring back an ancient art.

(This information was taken from Early American Stencils on Walls and Furniture by Janet Waring.  Dover Publications, New York.  The Dover edition, first published in 1968, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by William R. Scott in 1937.  Library of Congress catalog Card Number:  68-19166)

Color trends for 2007 and beyond

Color experts from design companies, paint manufacturers and color forecasting groups have determined what the color focus for interiors will be in the next few years.  Here is what they are saying…..

Warm Colors - Events such as the upcoming 2008 Olympics in China will influence reds into corals and raspberry tones replacing deep pinks.  These color ways can be used in a muted or very bold way.  This palette can be very earthy with a feeling of autumn, which almost everyone responds to in a deeply satisfying way.  When used in a bold way, it's becomes very contemporary, very striking,  and definitely not serene.  Check out Benjamin Moore colors:  Coral Essence, Rhubarb, Passion Fruit, Cinco de Mayo, or Coral Bronze.

Neutrals - are still very popular  and seem to be going in a couple of directions, and there's a reason for this.  Tone on tone beige and warm grays are still popular because they are comfortable to live in, and can be updated and changed easily.  But neutrals are also evolving into much stronger versions - rich browns, ochre, deeper colors, all creating more of a statement.  There's both a rustic and a sophisticated feel to this palette.  These shades mean a more calming home environment and a means of escape from the “outside” world.  Try Benjamin Moore Historic  Colors:  Adams Gold, Henderson Buff, Pittsfield Buff, Waterbury Cream, Danville Tan, Saybrook Sage, or Clinton Brown.

New Retro - is very strong, not only in style, but in colors.  A lot of very real, very bright colors are showing up - Citron greens, oranges in various hues, vibrant blues, true reds, and yellows.  They can be used sparingly as accents, or used all together, and sometimes they're seen on a background of white or black.  And speaking of black, this color is shifting into focus for very contemporary living environments.  Examples of these colors are Benjamin Moore:  Tequila Lime, Citron, Exotic Red, Racing Orange, Orange Sky, Yellow Flash, Electric Blue, and Universal Black.

Serenity colors - anything that evokes a soothing feeling has been popular for a while and seems here to stay.  You will see soft, cool tones evoking spa or ocean colors, such as pale aqua, steely blues, soft sages, used together or separately.  These cool tones can be used in conjunction with warmer or softer tones very well.  The success story of these color schemes is the monochromatic tonality and low contrast.  When choosing your colors a try a focal wall of color a shade lighter or darker than your room color.  This will create a lot of interest.  Try out Benjamin Moore Colors:  Wythe Blue,  Covington Blue, Van Alen Green, Harbor Haze, Mt. Rainier Gray, Excalibur Gray, or Porcelain.

Choosing Color

When choosing color for your home, the best suggestion is to create your color scheme from an inspiration piece which is important to you, or showcased in your public living space.  You public living space includes your Living Room, Kitchen, Powder Room, and Dining Room.  Your inspiration piece can be curtains, upholstery fabric, a family heirloom quilt, a favorite painting, nature outside your window – anything that appeals to your sense of style and the mood you want to achieve. 

The rule of thumb when choosing color for the public rooms in your home is the “Rule of Three.”  Choose three colors that most appeal to you and that fit well with your inspiration piece.  Now, in order for your public rooms to flow, you need to highlight all these elements of color in all of your public rooms.  Don’t worry about the bedrooms – this is private space, and the rule does not apply.

For example, if you have a painting of an autumn landscape in your Living Room, and choose gold, sage green, and rust as your colors, use these colors in one way or another in each room.  Perhaps you may paint your Living Room and Kitchen sage green, your Dining Room rust, and your Powder Room gold.  Choose curtain fabric for your Kitchen that has elements of all these colors, but stronger with gold or red tones, to contrast the green walls, or choose cherry cabinets – a red tone.  Incorporate a throw for the Living Room with reds and dark greens.  Or accessorize with Majolica or picture frames in tones of your three colors.  Accessorize your Dining Room with gold tones or green tones with linens, your seating upholstery, or china pattern.  Purchase red or green towels, or soaps for the Powder Room, and so on.  Touches of the same three colors in all of your public spaces will create a wonderful flow to your home and achieve a designer look.

If you are still timid with this concept, contact us.  Brushwork Studios offers color consultations, and expert color matching to help you achieve the “Rule of Three.”